Lady&#39;s garment



5, 1952 A. LICHT 2,605, 69

LADYS GARMENT Original Filed Feb. 1'7, 1945 Z INVENTOR Anna Lich BY QW 3 M mama ATTORNEY 3 Patented Aug. 5, 1952 LADYS GARMENT Anna Licht, New York, N. Y., assignor to The French Look, Inc., Paterson, N. J., a corporation of New Jersey Original application February 17, 1945, Serial No. 578,455. Divided and this application February 10,1948, Serial No. 7,319

2 Claims. 1

While the present invention in its broader aspects is applicable to other types of ladies dresses, it is illustratively shown embodied in an evening dress.

Among the objects of the invention is to provide a self-contained ladies dress that obviates harness-like constriction of the bust and permits freedom of movement and chestexpansion without discomfort or strain upon the garment and yet affords firm and truly effective bust support without the need for a brassire.

Another object is to provide a ladies dress of the above type that incorporates completebust support means yet in its external appearance may have any suitable lines, and in use avoids the exposure to view of a brassiere or other undergarment or liner element.

This application is a division of my co-pending application Serial No. 578,455 filed February 17, 1945, now Patent No. 2,438,062, dated March 16, 1948.

In the accompanying'drawings in which are shown one or more of various possible embodiments of the several features of the invention.

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing one embodiment of an evening dress as worn,

Fig. 2 is a perspective View showing an evening dress liner,

Fig. 3 is a view in longitudinal cross-section taken on line 33 of Fig. 1,

Fig. 4 is a rear view of one embodiment of the liner,

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4 of a slight modification thereof, and r Fig. 6 is a transverse cross-sectional view taken on line B6 of Fig. 2.

Referring now to Figs. 1 to 6 of the drawings, the evening dress embodiment i5 is of any suitable type, ordinarily tight fitting at the waistline; The garment according to the present invention has incorporated as a unit therewith a liner member IS in the form of a bodice. The liner includes a front panel I! made up of a number of sections stitched together as at [8 and lateral extension means to encompass the body. ,Said extension means may comprise one long wing at one side, closed about the body by a line of hooks, or by a hookless fastener as at 19. Alternatively, there might be two back wings 20 and 2| that are similarly closed as at 22 at the back. Of course, the back closing portion will be of height such as completely to be concealed by the backline of the evening dress, whether high cut as in Fig. 4, or low cut as inFig. 5.

The front panel preferably extends laterally,

between. That strap is preferably spaced above the upper edge 27 of the middle of the panel.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the lower rim of each cup is framed by an arcuate brace 28 which may be, of the double wire type covered by sheath 29,0) of the flat plate rounded rim plastic type 'coverdor uncovered, all as disclosed in my co-pending application Serial No. 503,181, filed September 21, 1943, and since patented underNo. 2,380,978 on August '7, 1945, and reissued on July l6,'1946'as Reissure Patent No. 22,771.

Where the arcuate braces are used, as is preferred, they project upwardly at their ends,.well above the top 21. of the mid-section of the liner, and the strap 26 desirably connects said project ing brace portions or the sheaths or covers thereof.

The liner, which is desirably of the same color as the dress, is connected to or below the neckline of an evening dress as a unitary part therewith, the connecting stitching 30 extending from the inner end of the brace 28 as at 3| to the peak 32 of each cup, or if desired, from the point 3| along the entire upper rim of the cup to the region of the opposite end 33 of the arcuate brace, or farther, if desired. The upper edge of the liner is, of course, desirably cut to conform exactly to the neckline of the dress to which it is stitched, as just described.

In wear, it will readily be seen that the lateral upright featherbone stiffeners 24 maintain the liner upright and the bodice of the dress being stitched thereto at 30 at the top is effectively held in place by hanging from the stiffened liner. Thus the bodice of the dress need not be pinched or snugly fitted about the body at the region above the waist.

The brace 28 in the combined garment moreover performs substantially all of the functions that it does in the separate brassire of the prior application above identified. It affords a frame for cups. holding them against the body and sustaining the breasts as in a hammock. The brace being relatively fiat by reason of its double Wire or flat plastic construction, lies snugly against the body without the danger of tilting on its side. As in the prior application the strap 26 permits chest expansion and bending without undue pressure or constriction or pinching of the body. j

In wear of the dress, the full advantage of a separate brassiere is thus obtained, but the disadvantage of the exposure to view of a sepa- 1 rate brassire is avoided. The neckline of the dress being stitched to the upper edge of the liner, said neckline cannotshift relative to the liner and the latter will not be exposed to view even if the wearer should bend low.

In practice the liner might be fabricated as a separate article of manufacture and purchased as such by the manufacturer of evening dresses.

To that end, the liner, constructed as above described, would desirably be made with extra entirelyand the arcuate braces 28 could serve' for the purpose, if positioned to extend laterally of "and over the breasts;

- While the "invention has been shown specifically as applied to an evening dress, it will be understood thatit could be incorporated in any of various other types of ladies garments and particularly in sport garments, such as playsuits or bathingsuits, and in certain'of'its embodiments'it might also be app-lied to street dresses, hostess dresses and the like.

As many changes could be made in the above article and many apparently widely different embodiments of this invention could be made without departing from the scope or the claims, it is intended that alljmattercontained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawingsi shall be interpreted as illustrative and not inia' limiting sense;

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. The combination of a ladys dress and a liner therefor, said liner comprising a bodice having a front panel extending. upward from below the waist to near the neckline of the dress, spaced cups at the upper part of said liner, said cups each having an upper rim, the upper rims of said cups being secured to the dress near the neckline thereof, and being otherwise free from attachment to said'dress, arcuate braces framing and "secured in place near the lower rims of the cups,

a strap connecting the inner parts of said braces, said strap extending above the upper edge of the middle of the panel, the upper edges of the sides of said panel extending laterally of said cups on a plane below the upper part of said liner, upright stiifeners along said sides, said panel having a laterally extending back covering part, and means for fasteningthe liner about the body.

2. A liner for a ladys dress, comprising a bodice portion having an upstanding front panel including spaced cups, each having an upper and a lower rim and each having'a selvage at the upper rim thereof for facilityrof attachment of the dress, upright lateral 'stiireners extending substantially the entire length of the bodice portion from the upper edge thereof to the lower edge thereof and positioned on the sides of the panel laterally spaced from the outer edges respectively of the cups, said stifienersmaintaining the bodice upright, a pair of spaced, substantially rigid arcuate stiffener braces "framing and secured near the lower rims of the cups, and a strap connecting the inner portionsof said braces.

v ANNA LIGHT.

assessments crrhp The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,502,000 Herrick July 22, 1924 1,994,941 Caldor ;Mar. 19, 1935 2,380,978 Licht Aug. 7, 945 2,414,530 F0110 Jail; 21, 1947 

